Waterless gas-holder



May 2, 1933., R. BERGFELD WATERLESS GAS HOLDER Filed Feb. 26. 1930 Patented May 2, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT REINHOLD BERGFELID, OI BERLIN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR T0 BAMAG-MEGUIN AKTIENG-ESELLSCHAFT, OF BERLIN, GERIVIANY WATERLESS GAS-HOLDER Application filed. February 26, 1980, Serial No. 431,578, and in Germany March 1, 1929.

This invention relates to gasholders of the so-called dry or floating disc type.

' In such a gasholder a casing is equipped with a disc or piston closure adapted to use and fall according to the volume of gas which is forced into the casing or holder beneath the disc. Owing to the difiiculties in maintaining the disc gastight there is always a danger of the gas leaking past the disc and accumulating in the atmospheric space above the same, thereby forming with the air in said space a highly explosive mixture. Should such mixture become ignited, the resulting explosion would blow out the roof together with the iron structure above the disc. The danger is very serious on account of the wide range of explosibility of mixtures of gas and air. 7

The object of the present invention 1s to limit the effects of such an explosion. With this object in view, the upper portion of the gasholder, particularly the roof, 1s covered with a material which, although becoming fractured under the influence of even a low positive pressure offers sufficient resistance to the influence of the weather and other stresses. A suitable material for this purpose consists, for example, of that hitherto employed for the envelopes of ballons, or (if transparency to light is a prime consideration) celluloid or cellophane, or some nonsplintering material, which will easily collapse under the pressure exerted by explosions.

According to the invention, the roof structure is divided into a number of panels, over which the material in question is stretched. In the event of an explosion taking place inside the gasholder, the collapsible material is fractured, without being scattered around in fragments as in the case of a covering of more solid character. At the same time, practically the whole cross sectional area of the gasholder (so far as it is not covered by the iron work of the roof) is left free for the escape of the pressure due to the explosion.

A special embodiment of the invention consists in that, in addition to the roof, the upper portion of the holder which is left' unenclosed for the purpose of taking out the disc in order to expose the packing or the like, is also covered with a collapsible material in the manner described above,.or with a transparent material of low resistance, 55 such as celluloid, cellophane or the like, so that, in the event of an explosion, a still larger area is available which will reduce the injurious action of the pressure.

A typical embodiment is illustrated in sec- 60 tional elevation on the drawing.

The disc or piston closure 2 is adapted to move inside the dry or waterless gasholder 1. The upper portion 3 of the gasholder is open, to allow the packing on the disc 2 to be inspected or replaced from the top gallery. This portion 3 is protected against the influence of the weather by a covering of collapsible material 4, whilst the upper surface of the roof 5 is also covered by a similar 70 material 4 or the like.

I claim 1. In a waterless gas-holder comprising a tank, a movable piston closure therefor, said tank having an upper structure consisting of 5 a roof and a portion of the tank below said roof and above said piston closure, panels incorporated in said upper structure and a celluloid covering mounted in said panels in order that said upper structure of the tank .80 will offer resistance to weather stresses but fracturing under pressure of an explosion.

2. In a waterless gas-holder comprising a tank, a movable piston closure therefor, said tank having an upper structure consisting of 85 a roof and a portion of the tank below said roof and above said piston closure, panels incorporated in said roof and a non-splintering sheet-like material mounted in said panels in order that said roof will offer resist 0 ance to weather stresses but fracturing under pressure of an explosion.

3. In a Waterless gas-holder comprising a tank, a movable piston closure therefor, said 5 tank having an upper structure consisting of a roof and a portion of the tank below said. I

roof and above said piston closure, said ,up

per structure being formed in part by a nonsplintering sheet-like material offering resistance to Weather stresses but effecting a rapid non-splintering fracture under the pressure of an explosion.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

REINHOLD BERGFELD. 

